O P Chautala surrenders at Tihar

New Delhi: INLD chief and former Haryana Chief Minster Om Prakash Chautala today surrendered at Tihar jail a day after the Delhi High Court asked him to do so for misusing bail conditions by campaigning

New Delhi: INLD chief and former Haryana Chief Minster Om Prakash Chautala today surrendered at Tihar jail a day after the Delhi High Court asked him to do so for misusing bail conditions by campaigning for assembly polls in the state.

Chautala, who was on bail, surrendered at around 8:40 PM and was sent to jail number two where he was lodged earlier. Yesterday, the Delhi High Court had ordered him to surrender by today, making it clear that it would not entertain any plea on extension of time for surrender.

A top Tihar official said 7 PM is the “lock out time” and as Chautala came almost one and half hours after the deadline, the authorities will report the matter to the court. The INLD leader came to the jail on a white SUV accompanied by a number of supporters.

Chautala was granted bail on medical grounds on May 21, 2013 and since then he has been out by extending it on the same ground.

A special CBI court had on January 22, 2013 convicted and sentenced Chautala, his son Ajay and eight others to 10-year jail term each for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in 2000. His appeal against the verdict is pending in the High Court.

A trial court had on Friday rejected Chautala's plea seeking exemption from personal appearance and permission to take part in ongoing Haryana election campaign. Among other convicts, 44 were sentenced to four years in jail and one given a five-year jail term.

All of them were held guilty of cheating, forgery, using fake documents as genuine, conspiracy under IPC and of abusing their official position under Prevention of Corruption Act.